Eastern Wayne Today

The Wayne State University women's basketball team secured a significant victory against No. 17-ranked Lewis University, with a final score of 77-57, to advance to the second round of the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament. This win marks the first NCAA Tournament victory for Wayne State since 2015 and is their sixth under head coach Carrie Lohr. Coach Lohr has a record of six wins and four losses in NCAA Tournament contests and boasts a strong performance in opening rounds with four wins out of five.

Wayne State's women's team has achieved over 20 victories in six different seasons, including three seasons with 23 wins (1980-81, 2013-14, and 2014-15), one season with 22 wins (2012-13), and two seasons with 20 wins (1994-95 and 2024-25).

In the game against Lewis University, Wayne State started strong by making their first five shots and quickly establishing an early lead. Taylor Gugliuzza from Lewis scored two points before Gabi Lutchka's three-pointer extended Wayne State's lead to eleven points at the start of the game. The Warriors ended the first quarter with a substantial advantage of 30-14.

The second quarter saw some offensive struggles from both teams until Ally Shagena scored for Wayne State just before halftime, leading them to a score of 39-25.

Lewis University's Taylor Gugliuzza opened the scoring in the third quarter but was quickly answered by Taylor Thompson from Wayne State. The Green and Gold slightly outscored Lewis for most of this period.

Wayne State maintained control throughout the fourth quarter despite efforts from Lewis University to close the gap. The Flyers managed to bring down the margin but never got closer than seventeen points as Wayne State finished strongly at 77-57.

Wayne State demonstrated superior shooting accuracy during this matchup, converting on fifty-eight percent of their field goal attempts compared to thirty-three percent by Lewis. They also excelled in rebounding with thirty-seven rebounds versus twenty-five by Lewis.

Taylor Thompson led Wayne State with seventeen points, tied for game-high honors in assists with five, and grabbed eight rebounds. Shea Tripp added fourteen points while Gabi Lutchka and Koko Sylvester each contributed twelve points. Lexi Boyke set a personal best with nine rebounds.

For Lewis University, Taylor Gugliuzza was top scorer at eighteen points while Kree Nunnally led her team in rebounds with four. Jenna Badali shared top assist honors alongside adding fourteen points herself.

Looking ahead, Wayne State will face No. 2-ranked Grand Valley State University on Saturday evening at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena marking their fourth meeting this season.